Development of pro social behaviours and moral reasoning

What is prosocial behaviour

Voluntary behaviour that is intended to benefit another regardless of motivation - sharing helping comforting

Combats altruism (desire to help another)

Why are we prosocial

Evolution roots - increase survival of kin - more likely to assist genetically related individuals (eisenberg found this in 7-17yr olds)also survival of group. Enhance rep and acceptance

Is prosocial innate or learned

Innate - we have spontaneity to conduct proximal behaviour, evidence kin twin studies

Environment - early attachment to parents

When does prosocial behaviour emerge

Around end of 1st yr show helping behaviour

Increases in toddle period and slowly into early adulthood to shift into moral principles

How is prosocial behaviour studied

Prompting and Reinforcement of behaviour to encourage its emergence -Explicit scaffolding (praise) increases behaviour in infants

Modelling - observation

Limitations if experiment relating to prosocial behaviour

Artificial - unfamiliar experimenter and deception, some found no effect of modelling after 3 weeks - so they are merely doing what they think they should do in the environment

What have observational studies found

Found that prosocial behaviour is resulted from certain motivation like social affiliation and reward

What have experiments shown for helping

Warneken and Tomasello - likely to help even without the eye contact or vocal announcement if they didn’t it was due to the inability to interpret what the goal is. Helped more than chimps. We have a natural tendency to help others

What are the factors influencing prosocial development

Parenting styles and responses - secure attachment = higher empathy

Perspective taking - see others

Ability to regulate emotions

Cross cultural differences - individualism vs support, cooperation vs competition

What is moral reasoning

How we judge whether an action is right or wrong

Who developed moral reasoning

Piaget, kohlberg

What is piaget theory about moral reasoning

Observed how children understood rules of game = rules of society. 3 stages of understanding

What are the 3 stages of understanding

Premoral

Moral realism/heteronomous

Moral subjectivism/autonomous

What premoral understanding

Up to 4 yrs and rules are not understood

What is moral realism

4to10 rules from higher authority and cannot be changed

What is Moral subjectivism

10+ rules can change as long as agreed upon mutually

Who confirmed Piaget theory

Linaza in a cross cultural test

What is the dilemma method

Which is child naughtiest. Up to 9/10 yrs based on damage not motive/intention

What is the limitation of the dilemma methods

Unequal damage distracts children

Bad intention vague - not told that the child was told to not to get cookies

What are the criticism of piaget theory

Underestimate theory - 2-5 yrs olds are able to differentiate between violation of social and moral conventions (smetana)

What is kohlbergs theory

Built off of piagets theory and covered the life span

Particpants presented with dilemma and asked why they were wrong and not who or what was wrong

What are kohlbergs levels of moral reasoning

Preconventional

Conventional

Postconventional

What is preconventional

Reason in relation to self and have little understanding of rule - seek pleasure seen in children under 9 some adolescents and adult criminal offenders

Stage 1 - concerned with authority, obey rules to avoid punishment

Stage 2 - weigh pros and cons, action determined by ones needs

What is conventional

Importance if rules and expectation of society

Stage 3 - focus on interpersonal relationship, living up to what is expected of you - approval/disapproval

Stage 4 focus on society, upholding one duty to maintain social order

What is postconventional

Understanding of moral principles and the underlying laws

Stage 5 - importance of functioning society and individual rights, not until 20+yrs . Rules don’t come from higher authority we can have an input on rules

Stage 6 - following ethical principles

What is Heinz moral dilemma

Applied kohlbergs theory to dilemma

What are the criticism of kohlbergs theory

Dilemmas criticised for being too artificial and not reliable, clinical interviews methods subjective

Cultural bias - snarey reviewed 27 cultures and found that there was similar progression through stages 1-4 but stage 5 found in urban society. Bias towards individualist cultures.

All original participants male, so reflects male morality

What did Gillian find

Criticised Piaget and kohlbergs focus on male morality, found that female more concerned about their behvaiour and how it has an impact on others (people before principles)